Sometimes Fate Can Suck, Or Can It?
by LuvIshida1985
Summary: DISCONTINUED. PG-13 due to some language. Duo is an elven prince who gets caught by some humans. What will happen to him? Who know's? Will eventually be yaoi. 1x2 possible 3x4
1. Part 1

Sometimes Fate Can Suck, or Does it?  
By: YamatoLuv7  
Disclaimer: Don't own them, never will, don't sue me, cause I got nil.  
  
"speech"  
'thought'  
  
Duo ran swiftly through the forest, dodging low hanging branches and fallen tree limbs as he went. At first glance, he looked like and ordinary boy out running in the woods, long chestnut braid flapping behind him. But at closer inspection, one could make out his chiseled features. The high cheekbones, the elegant face and the pointed ears. Duo was an elf. An elf prince at that. His father was Treize Kushrenada, the elf king. And then came the sounds of pursuit, completely shattering the image of the boy just out for a run.   
He mentally cursed himself for going out for a walk by himself. He should have listened to Quatre, his best friend, and stayed home. Now, thanks to his stupidity, he was running for his life. Why did he always do such stupid things? He knew that the humans were beginning to hunt the elves down and kill them. What he didn't know was why. Come to think of it, no elf knew what was going on with the humans.   
And at that particular inopportune moment, Duo's foot decided to catch on a root and send him sprawling onto his stomach.   
"Damn," he said, as the sound of pursuit grew steadily closer. He quickly stood, only to fall back down as he put pressure onto his right ankle.  
"Great, just great," he muttered. "What a time to sprain my ankle."   
He muttered a few for curses before closing his eyes and concentrating. After a few moments, a slight golden glow surrounded him and a delicate green vine laces its way around his ankle. As he continued to concentrate, the vine started to glow brightly. And then as quickly as it came it was gone and Duo was up and running again. The humans had gained on him but he was still in the lead and therefore still as advantage. He could hear the sound of footsteps and the bark of dogs.   
"Damn dogs," he muttered. He couldn't run fast enough and the humans were gaining on him. Before his mind could fully register what was happening, a dog jumped at him, sending him sailing into a nearby tree trunk. He heard the sickening sound of crunching bone when he his and then he collapsed onto the ground clutching at his throbbing shoulder and aching ribs.   
"Great. Now I'll never get away," he said to himself. He heard a soft growl and looked up to see the dog snarling at him.   
"Down boy," he muttered. He heard the sound of approaching voices and groaned. 'Quatre was right. I am an idiot' he thought. The voices grew louder and soon a group of men stepped out of the foliage. 'Damn, there's to many of them to fight' as the eight men stopped inside the clearing. One of the humans, he assumed to be in charge, stepped forward a few steps. If he could, he would have backed away, but his cracked ribs and dislocated shoulder prevented him from making any kind of movement. So he stayed right where he was. He wanted to heal himself but he didn't think that the humans would take it to well if he all of the sudden started glowing. He looked up with wide violet eyes as the man stopped in front of him. Scratch that, young man. He couldn't have been much older than Duo. He had extremely tan skin, long black hair pulled back into a tight ponytail, and very intense black eyes.  
"What should we do with him," asked one of the other men.  
"The king wanted all elves brought to the castle," replied the young man standing in front of Duo.  
"Should we tie him up Wufei," asked another man.  
"Just his hands Rashid. He'll need to walk," replied Wufei.  
The other man nodded and moved forward to tie Duo's wrists together. The man, Rashid, pulled Duo's arms out in front of him, and he hissed in pain.  
"Sir, he's hurt." Rashid called to Wufei.  
"No shit," grumbled Duo, causing the man to smile slightly.  
"So, he does speak and he's got a sense of humor too."  
Duo glared at the burly man before him. Wufei walked over and knelt down in front of him  
"What's hurt?" he asked, sounding slightly concerned.  
"My ribs and my shoulder," replied Duo.  
"Trowa," Wufei called to another young man, with the strangest hair Duo had ever seen. "Bring some bandages."  
"I can do it myself," Duo said a little exasperated.  
"How?" asked Rashid curiously. Duo smirked.  
"You don't know much about elves, do you?"  
"I guess not. I've never actually met one before."  
"There's a fist time for everything," replied Duo. "Watch and observe."  
Duo concentrated and soon the golden glow surrounded him. Two delicate vines snakes their way up around his shoulder and his midsection. They glowed brightly and then disappeared. All the men were staring at him open mouthed. He smirked again  
"Put you tongues back in your mouth and close them," he said in a slightly joking matter. Rashid continued to stare at him.  
"That was...well...incredible," he said in awe.  
"Not really," Duo replied, turning to look at Wufei. "You didn't look too impressed. Wufei, wasn't it?"  
"Yes, and you are?" he asked authoritatively.  
"Duo."  
"Well Duo. I'm afraid we're going to have to take you with us."  
"No really. I thought you were just tying my wrists for the fun of it," he replied sarcastically. "I just have one question?"  
"What's that?"  
"Why do you want me to go with you?"  
"Personally, I don't. None of us do. We are all very fond of the elves, but it's the king's order. Any elves we find are to be brought back to him. If we don't obey him, well let's just say that we can all kiss our heads goodbye."   
Duo smiled at him sadly.  
"I understand. Believe me. I know how stubborn and stupid kings can be. So, do what ya gotta do," he said confidently.  
"Thank you so much," Wufei sighed in relief. "You just made things a lot easier for us and yourself.  
"I did?" Duo asked curiously.  
"Yes," said the man with the weird hair. "Had you resisted us, the king would most likely have you killed. Now, you'll at least get to stay alive."  
"Oh really. And who are you?"  
"I'm Trowa."  
"Well Trowa, I have a question for you?" said Duo seriously. "How do you get your hair to stay like that?"  
At this question, everyone burst out laughing. Trowa cracked a small smile.   
"It's natural," he replied calmly.  
Duo stared at him. "No kidding, well it's interesting to say the least." As he said this, Duo made his way to his feet. "Well, lead the way, I guess," he told Wufei.  
"Guys, move out," Wufei called to the other men. As they made their way through the forest, Duo began to think about his situation. His father was not going to be happy when he turned up missing.   
"I give him twelve more hours," he muttered glumly to himself.   
"What was that?" asked Rashid.  
"Oh nothing. I was just saying that it'll be twelve more hours until before my father knows I'm missing."  
"Why's that? Twelve hours is a long time."  
"Yeah, I know. But I take off with my friend after breakfast, I'm gone all day, I eat dinner alone, and then just hang out in my room. The only time I really see my father is in the morning, so he won't even know I'm gone until breakfast," explained Duo.  
"Oh, I see," replied Rashid  
"What does your father do?" asked Trowa.  
"He's a...well...a politician," lied Duo. Well not quite lied. He just cut the truth short a little bit.  
Trowa nodded and they resumed walking in silence. After what seemed like forever to Duo, they arrived at a large city. The castle was located in the center of the gigantic buildings and when they reached it, Duo's mouth dropped open. The castle was easily five times bigger than his own home. It was huge. He stared in awe at the richly decorated halls and almost ran into Wufei, who had stopped in front of a pair of large ornate oak doors. The two guards opened them and Duo hesitantly stepped in to meet whatever fate had prepared for him.   
  
A/N. What d'ya think? Is it a good idea or should I stop writing it? I've never written an AU fic before so I need everyone's opinions. Please Review.  
YamatoLuv7  



	2. Part 2

Sometimes Fate Can Suck, or Can it? Chapter 2 By: YamatoLuv7 Disclaimer: Don't own them, never will, don't sue me, cause I got nil. Warnings: OOC, AU, Shounen-ai  
  
"speech" 'thought'  
  
Duo stared in awe at the room he now stood in. There were finely decorated tapestries hanging on the walls, and hundreds of richly dressed nobles standing around chatting with acquaintances. But what caught Duo's attention was the man sitting in the large throne in the middle of the room. He was tall and slender, had blonde hair that was almost as long as Duo's, and very bright blue eyes. The crown resting on top of his head was enough to confirm Duo's suspicions. This man was the king. Wufei stepped forward and bowed to him before speaking. "My king, we have brought this elf as you commanded," he said, gesturing to Duo, who stood a few steps behind him. The king nodded and gestured to Duo. "Come forward so I can have a look at you," he ordered. Duo did as he was told and moved to stand before the king. The man looked him up and down a few times and then spoke. "What is your name?" he demanded. "Duo, sir." "Duo? That sounds familiar. Who's your father? Perhaps I've met him before." "I don't think you have, sir." "Oh come now. What's his name?" Duo looked pleadingly at Wufei but the other boy just shrugged. Duo sighed resignedly. 'So much for being a simple elf' he thought. 'Now they'll know who I am.' He looked up and noticed the king staring at him, waiting for an answer. "Well," he prodded. Duo sighed again and looked down at the floor. "Treize Kushrenada," he said softly. At the mention of his father, everyone in the room fell silent. Duo cautiously looked up and found that every eye in the room was on him. He looked at the king and found him looking intently at him. "Can you prove this," he asked. Duo nodded reluctantly. He unbuttoned his shirt and slipped it off. He then turned around so that the king had a clear view of his shoulder. On his right shoulder blade was a tattoo of a red rose. By the stem of the rose was a single raindrop, marking him as the first born of the Kushrenada family. He heard several gasps from the nobles around him and took that as his cue to put his shirt back on. He turned back to the king and found him smiling. It made Duo shiver. It wasn't a warm friendly smile, but a cold sadistic smile. 'Oh shit,' thought Duo. 'I'm in trouble now.' "Wufei," said the king, an evil glint in his eyes. "Put him in the dungeon until I say otherwise." Wufei stared at the king in surprise. "Now," he snapped. In an instant, Wufei bowed and ushered Duo out of the room. Once they were a little further down the hall, Wufei stopped and stared at him. "You're the elfin prince?" he said in disbelief. "The one and only," Duo said with a smirk. "I had no idea," Wufei all but whispered. "I know. If I could, I would've liked to keep it that way. But I'll tell you what, you have one stubborn king. Almost as stubborn as my father," Duo laughed. Wufei laughed as well but stopped short when someone cleared their throat behind them. Both boys spun around in surprise. Duo stared at the person before him. To say he was beautiful was an understatement. The other boy had short unruly brown hair and such beautiful cobalt blue eyes. He looked like a vision from one of Duo's dreams. For a minute their eyes met and then Wufei spoke. "My prince," he said. "Did you need something?" "For god's sake Wufei. Cut it out with the prince thing. You know I hate it." Wufei smiled slightly. "Sorry Heero. Did you need something?" "Yes," replied the prince. "I want you to take him to my room." "Why Heero?" "Because my father will leave him to die in the dungeon. I don't want that to happen." "I understand." Wufei smiled internally. So Heero had a thing for the elfin prince. This ought to be interesting. "Ok then. I'll take him to your room." "Thank you Wufei. I'll be there presently. I just have to finish with my father." "Yes sir," replied Wufei as Heero turned and walked back down the hall. Duo stared after him for a moment before turning to speak to Wufei. "Who's that?" he asked. "That was Heero, the prince." "Why does he want to help me?" "Because, unlike his father, he likes the elves. He hates what his father is doing to your people. He's been trying to help all of the elves that were thrown into the dungeon by the king." "That's nice of him. I'll have to remember to thank him," replied Duo. Wufei smiled and led the way down a very long hallway. Once they reached the end of it, they went right and went through the first door on the left. The room Duo found himself in was quite unlike the rest of the castle. It had no decorations except for the large bed, bedside table, and large desk in the corner. Hanging on the wall above the desk was a large sword and a shield with the royal seal on it. 'Looks kinda like my room' thought Duo. He turned to look at Wufei. "What now?" he asked. Wufei pointed to the desk chair. "Have a seat and Heero will be here soon. I have to go now or I'll get in trouble. Just sit back and relax. Heero is nothing like his father, so don't worry," said Wufei with a reassuring smile. "Thanks Wufei." "For what?" "Well, for being so nice to me. Most people are only nice to me because of who my father is, but you had no idea and you were still nice to me. That means a lot to me." "Your welcome. I'll be back in awhile. Trowa and I usually come here after dinner and just hang out with Heero. So I'll probably see you then." "Ok. See ya later," said Duo as he reclined back in the chair to wait for the mysterious human prince. He didn't have to wait very long. Less than ten minutes later the door opened. Duo looked up and found himself staring into those cobalt blue eyes again. He realized he was staring and quickly looked away. "Um...hi," he said nervously. The other boy smiled slightly. "Hi, I'm Heero," he said in a soft voice. "I'm Duo." "I'd like to apologize for my father. He's...well...he's a little crazy right now." "It's alright. I've had worse treatment before and that was from my own kind." Heero raised his eyebrow but said nothing. Duo sat there for a minute playing with the end of his braid and then he just came out and said what was on his mind. "What now?" "Well, my father can't hurt you if you're with me. I thought I'd have a bed brought in here for you. Is that ok?" "That sounds great. Why don't you want me down in the dungeon?" "Because my father never does anything to help the prisoners. They get no food or blankets or anything. They just sit there until they die. I try to take them things whenever I can, but it's just not enough. Besides, my father is very fond of...taking advantage of his prisoners, especially someone as good looking as you. I wouldn't wish that fate on anybody." Duo stared at him for a moment. Then something occurred to him. "Why does your father hate the elves so much?" he asked curiously. "My mother was killed by an elf a few months ago. He's hated elves ever since." "Oh, I'm sorry." "Don't be. It was my mothers own fault." Duo looked at him, confusion very evident in his eyes. Heero chuckled. "My mother hated me. She was also very stupid. She went out hunting with my father one day. She 'thought' she saw a deer and she shot an arrow at it. When she went to see what it was, it turned out to be a young elf. Well, I guess the elves friend came along and saw my mother leaning over his friend with her bow and he just put two and two together. He attacked her and she was stabbed in the stomach. My father brought her back here but it was too late." Heero chuckled again as he finished his story. Duo stared at him. "That must have been Tristin," he whispered. "Come again?" asked Heero in confusion. "Tristin was the elf your mother killed. We all wondered what had happened, especially after Luke came back from a walk, carrying Tristin and ranting about some woman who had killed him." "Who's Luke?" "Oh, that's Tristin's boyfriend." "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." "Nah, don't be. Tristin's fine." "He is?" asked Heero in surprise. "Yeah. He's alive and well." "But...How? My mother shot him through the heart." "Well...it's difficult to explain. I'll try to explain it as best I can but let me know if I lose you, ok?" Heero nodded his assent and Duo began his explanation. "You see, we have something called 'heart-bonding'1 If someone we love very much dies, we can share our heart with them so that they can continue to live. It is a very special bond that only those who are meant to be together can form. Do you understand now?" Heero nodded. "Wow," he said. "That's pretty incredible." "Yeah, I know. My parents had a heart-bond," said Duo sadly. "Had?" asked Heero. "My mother died two years ago. My father has pretty much ignored me since then. He says it's because he's so busy, but I know it's because I remind him of her. I look almost exactly like my mother and it hurts my father to even look at me. He won't even know I'm gone until Quatre tells him at breakfast tomorrow." "Who's Quatre?" "Oh, he's my best friend, almost like a brother. He was chosen to be my companion from birth, so we've known each other since we were born. He's really the only real friend I've ever had. Well, him and you, Wufei, and Trowa." "You consider us your friends?" asked Heero in surprise. "Hell yeah. Not many people would care whether I starved to death in the dungeon or not. Anyone who really cares what happens to me has got me for a friend whether they like it or not," said Duo cheerfully. "That's good to know. I'd hate to have you as an enemy," said Heero rather shyly. Duo beamed at him brightly before standing up and sticking his hand out. "Duo Kushrenada at your service." "Heero Merquise, nice to meet you," replied the prince as he took Duo's offered hand and shook it firmly. He smiled slightly and stood up and pulled a cord by the door. A minute later two young men entered and bowed. "What can we do for you, my prince," they said reverently. "Bring up a small bed, a table, and another chair," he told them. "Yes sir." They left and returned a few minutes later carrying a bed, a table and a chair. They put the bed next to Heero's bed and the chair and the table went in the corner. The servants bowed and left. "I have to go now, but I'll have some food brought up and you should get some sleep. You look tired. Um, you can borrow some of my clothes if you need to. There right in the wardrobe there. I'll be back in a little bit." "Thanks Heero." "Your welcome. I'll be back later," he said and then he turned and left. Duo yawned and headed toward the small bed that had been brought up for him. He flopped down onto it and was soon fast asleep.  
  
  
  
1 heart-bonding is very similar to that in Dragonheart.  
  
A/N. Well guys, here's chapter 2. not too shabby, huh? I'm pretty proud of it. As always, please review. YamatoLuv7 


	3. Part 3

Sometimes Fate Can Suck, or Can It?  
Chapter3  
By:YamatoLuv7  
Disclaimer: Don't own them, never will, don't sue me, cause I got nil  
Warnings: shounen-ai and a very OOC Heero. Be warned, he talks and smiles a lot.  
  
"speech"  
"thought"  
/faeries/  
  
Duo woke to the sound of voices talking quietly somewhere to his left. He cracked one eye open and noticed that Trowa and Wufei were there talking to Heero. He smiled slightly and slowly sat up. immediately, all three boys were looking at him.  
"Well, he lives," said Wufei jokingly from his perch next to Trowa on Heero's bed.  
"Haha. You'd sleep a lot if you ran two miles too," retorted Duo.  
"True," he replied.  
"How are you feeling?" asked Heero.  
"I'm fine. I am a little hungry though." Heero smiled.  
"I thought you might be, so I had the cook bring something up. Have a seat and dig in."  
At the mention of food, Duo bounded over to the empty chair and plopped down in it.  
"Don't have to tell me twice. Q always complains about my appetite. Says I'm a black hole," he said between mouthfuls of food.  
"Q?" asked Trowa.  
"Oh. Quatre," replied Duo as he shoveled spoonfuls of egg into his mouth. "He's my best friend."  
"Oh." They sat in silence for a few minutes until Duo thought he heard his name being called. He looked up in surprise.  
/Duo. Can you hear us?/  
/Open the window./  
/Duo, let us in./   
He stared in shock for a few moments and then a broad grin lit up his face. He bounded over to the window and looked back at Heero.  
"Do you mind if I open the window?"  
"Go right ahead," replied Heero with a grin.  
Duo promptly pushed the window open and three colored ball of light flew in.  
/Duo, are you alright?/  
/Quatre's worried about you./  
/Who are they?/  
Duo laughed lightly and turned to face the three young men, who were currently staring in amazement.  
"This is Heero, Wufei, and Trowa," he said, indicating each boy to the faeries.   
"What...are those things?" asked a very shocked Wufei.  
"Surprised, huh Wufei. These are my friends: Lily, Ruby, and Cyprus1. They're faeries."  
"F...f...faeries," sputtered Trowa.  
"You didn't think they were just a legend, did you? They're perfectly real. Say hello."  
"Hello," echoed all three boys. The faeries circled their heads and the three amazed boys stared in shock as they heard voices.  
/Hello/  
/Thank you for keeping Duo safe./  
/Are you his friends?/  
/Does he have to stay here long?/  
Duo chuckled at the confused looks on his friend's faces.  
"Lily, Ruby, and Cyprus, slow down. You're confusing them."  
/Sorry, well slow down./  
/Do you want us to change into our big forms so we don't have to whisper in their ears?/  
"That's a good idea," said Duo. "Guys step back just a little," he said to the three young men. They did as they were told and then there was a bright flash of light. To their astonishment, there were now three people in the room. Two girls, one with white hair, sparkling white wings and a white dress. The other girl was the same, except her hair, wings and dress were red. The third was a young man with dark green hair, light blue wings, and was dressed in a multi-colored tunic with black pants. Even more surprised was the small crown sitting atop his head. Duo ran forward and gave the faerie prince a huge hug.  
"It is so good to see you, gut what in the world are you doing here?" asked Duo. Cyprus laughed lightly.  
"Quatre asked us to come and look for you. He was really worried when you didn't show up for dinner."  
"Oh. What about my father?"   
Cyprus hung his head slightly and Duo knew the answer to that question. He should have known.  
"You told him and he didn't even care."   
Cyprus nodded his affirmation and looked sadly up at him.  
"He...he has named your cousin, the Lady Relena, his heir."  
Duo's face fell and he tried his best to blink back his tears. He had promised himself when his mother died that he would never cry again. But it looked like he would break that promise.  
"I knew he didn't like me," he whispered, "but I didn't think he would go that far."  
The other three boys stood by and watched as the emotions played across their friend's elegant face. He looked so hurt and angry and there were tears in his eyes that he refused to let fall. Cyprus looked sympathetic but he continued.  
"Quatre tried to protest and your father had him put in the dungeon. I'm...afraid he's pretty badly hurt. The guards did quite a number on him."  
At this news, Duo slid to his knees. He couldn't believe what was happening. His whole life had just come crashing down around him and he didn't know what to do anymore. He was so confused.  
"Go...go tell Quatre...that I'm ok," he managed to choke out. Cyprus nodded and he and the girls changed back into balls of light and flew out the window. Duo remained on the floor with his arms wrapped tightly around his waist, rocking himself back and forth in an attempt to remain calm. Heero took one look at him and before he even knew what he was doing, he was on the floor, engulfing the braided boy in a tight embrace. He felt Duo stiffen slightly and then he began to relax. After a moment he felt his shirt dampen and he realized that the other boy was crying. He motioned for Wufei and Trowa to leave and held the boy in his arms as he continued to cry. For quite awhile he just sat on the floor and held him close as he rubbed his back in a soothing manner. Eventually, Duo fell into an exhausted sleep and Heero picked him up off the floor and carried him to his bed. He pulled back the covers and lay Duo down, hesitating a moment before climbing into the bed with him. Duo unconsciously snuggled closer to Heero's warmth, causing Heero to smile slightly.  
"Sleep well, Duo," he whispered, before drifting off to sleep.  
  
*Time Lapse*  
  
Both boys woke to the whisper of voices above them. Duo cracked his eye opened and looked at Heero, who smiled at him. He smiled back.  
/Good morning, Duo. Heero/ said Ruby.  
/Is he your boyfriend, Duo?/ asked Lily curiously.  
/Lily, Ruby. Quit pestering them/ said Cyprus. There was a flash of light and Cyprus stepped forward.  
"Duo, Quatre is not well. He has become very sick. And the guards are not making it any easier." Duo's face fell.  
"I wish I could help him," he said sadly.   
"You can," said Heero.  
"How?"  
"I'm going to help you get to your home so you can rescue your friend." Duo looked at him in surprise.  
"You'd do that?"  
"Of course. We'll leave as soon as you're ready."  
"We?" asked Duo.  
"Yes, we. You'll need help if your friend is as bad as they say. Trowa, Wufei, and myself will accompany you."   
"Thank you," said Duo, for once at a loss for words.  
"We'll leave as soon as you are ready," said Heero. "I'll go and get Trowa and Wufei. Why don't you change into some clean clothes." Duo nodded and Heero went in search of his two friends. Duo walked over to the wardrobe and continued to talk to Cyprus.   
"How badly is he hurt? Does he have an infection? A fever?" he asked worriedly as he dug through Heero's clothes. He finally settled on a pair of black pants and a red shirt that tied up the front. As he began to change, he listened to what Cyprus had to say.  
"He has a lot of injuries and a few of them are infected. He has a slight fever but I thing it will go up." Duo thought for a moment.  
"Cyprus, go back and stay with Quatre. Don't leave his side until I get there." The faerie prince nodded and turned small again before flying out of the window. Duo plopped onto his bed and waited for Heero to return with the others. It wasn't a very long wait. Less than a minute later, the door swung open and the three boys walked in carrying packs and various weapons.  
"You ready?" asked Heero.  
Duo nodded and the four boys headed down to the stables. Once they were mounted Heero told Duo to lead the way and they took off in the direction of Duo's city. They rode in silence for about an hour before Duo's eyes lit up and a broad grin spread across his face.  
"Katharine, come on out. It's ok. They're my friends."  
The other three looked up in surprise when they heard Duo's voice and gasped when a girl jumped down to the ground in front of them.   
"Duo, you should not be here. Your father will have you arrested."  
"I know Kathy, but I have to help Quatre. Please don't tell my father."  
Katherine took in his unrest expression and she smiled.  
"Duo, because of my position I can't help you, but I won't stop you either." Duo grinned and hugged her ecstatically.  
"Thank you so much Kathy. I will never ever forget this. You're the best." She smiled and disappeared into the trees again. Duo took one look at his friend's faces and chuckled.  
"That was Katharine. She's the captain of the guard," he explained. They nodded and rode in silence for about five more minutes until Duo motioned for them to stop. He dismounted and gestured for them to do likewise. Heero started to say something but Duo held his hand up telling them to stay silent. He pointed straight ahead and they all turned to see what he was pointing at. Just a few feet in front of them was a large city. The three humans followed Duo around the outskirts of the city to a large building by the edge of the forest.   
They crept inside and Duo snuck up behind the guard, squeezing a spot on the guard's neck causing him to fall limply to the floor. He grabbed the keys and ran down the hall, looking quickly into each cell as he passed. He came to a halt outside a cell that had a familiar shock of blonde hair in it.   
"Quatre," he called softly. The figure in the corner stirred but did not respond. "Cyprus," called Duo, as he fumbled with the keys. He unlocked the door as a bright flash of light signaled Cyprus's presence. Duo rushed over to his best friend, Heero and Wufei close on his heels, while Trowa stood guard at the door.  
"Quatre," said Duo softly.   
Quatre's eyes opened slightly and recognition flashed in them. "D...Duo?" he asked.  
"Yeah, it's me. Hold on ok. We're gonna get you outa here. Ok?"  
"Ok."  
Being careful not to jostle his friend, Duo carefully picked him up and headed to the door.  
"Thank you Cyprus," he called to his faerie friend.  
"Your welcome. If you ever need anything, you know where to find me." With that, Cyprus was surrounded by light and was flying out of the window. The three humans followed Duo out to the woods and back to their horses. The braided boy set his burden carefully on the ground and held his hands over him.   
"Duo, what are you doing?" asked Heero.  
"I'm going to heal him as much as I am able."  
"As much as you are able?" asked Trowa curiously.  
"Healing another is harder than healing ones self. I may only be able to heal a few of his injuries."  
"Oh." Everyone fell silent as Duo closed his eyes and concentrated. The familiar golden glow surrounded Quatre and his body was engulfed in vines. After about three minutes the glow and the vines vanished, leaving just Quatre.  
"Why isn't he awake?" asked Wufei.  
"Because," replied Duo. "I can heal his physical injuries, but no amount of magic can cure a fever. For that, we'll have to use good old fashioned medicine."  
Heero nodded. "There is a healer back at the palace. She will help your friend."  
"Thank you."  
Duo tried to stand, but his legs wouldn't hold him up and he fell back onto his knees. Heero walked over to help him up.  
"Are you alright?" he asked in concern.  
"Yeah. It takes a lot of energy to heal someone else."   
Heero nodded and helped Duo up. He walked over to his horse and put Duo onto it. Then he walked back to Quatre. He lifted the blonde and carried him over to Trowa.   
"Take care of him Trowa," he said as he handed the elf up to his friend.  
Trowa nodded and settled the blonde in his lap. Heero went back to his horse and swung up behind Duo.   
'Hang on Q,' thought Duo as he leaned back against Heero's chest and fell asleep.  
  
******  
  
Duo felt himself being picked up. He cracked an eye open to see Heero lifting him off of the horse. He smiled and opened his eyes completely.  
"Your awake," Heero stated. "Can you stand?"  
"I think so. Why don't you put me down and we'll see. If I fall, I can't; if I don't fall, I can."  
Heero smiled slightly at his sarcasm and set him on his feet. He wobbled and would have fallen had he not grabbed on to Heero for support.   
"I guess that's a no," said Heero lightly.  
Duo smiled. "How 'bout this. You help me to your room and then I can rest."  
"Sure," he said, as they slowly made their way down the halls. "Trowa took Quatre to Noin, the healer. She is very skilled and should have him better in no time."  
"Oh good. I'm glad he's ok. Thanks for your help."  
"Your welcome," replied Heero as he opened the door to his room. He helped Duo over to his bed and then he went and climbed into his own. Duo curled up under his blankets and tried to get back to sleep. Three hours later found Duo still trying to get to sleep. With a frustrated sigh he threw the blankets of himself, stood up, and started pacing back and forth. He let out a startled gasp when a hand grabbed his wrist. He looked down and saw Heero looking at him.  
"Um...sorry. I couldn't sleep," he explained. Heero nodded and pulled his blankets back, pulling Duo into bed with him.   
"Go to sleep," he commanded as he wrapped his arms around the braided boys waist. Duo sighed happily.  
" 'Night Heero."  
"Goodnight Duo. Sleep well."  
With that said, both boys drifted off to sleep.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N. Well, good? Bad? In between? Please review. let me know what you think.  
1 Lily is white, Ruby is red, and Cyprus is green, hence the names. 


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